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Olga is a 29-year-old asset management consultant who has been based in Singapore for over a year.

Born to a Ukrainian father and a Russian mother, the current war in Ukraine is an issue that is close to her heart. Though she grew up in Russia before moving to the UK at 17, Olga has spent a lot of time in Ukraine — often visiting her family and friends in a small village near Kyiv.

The rocky relationship between the two countries is a topic that is not new to her.

“I've been cognisant of the fact that there has been quite a tense relationship between the two countries for a while now,” said Olga.

“It's been aggravating until now into a catastrophic event, right? So I can’t say I was surprised. From just conversations, at home with family, everyone was always fearing that (the war) might actually end up becoming a reality.”

She has been quite vocal and outspoken about the war ever since it started, often sharing posts about humanitarian aid and spreading awareness about the situation in Ukraine on her social media accounts.

Not doing enough?

However, that hasn’t stopped others from claiming that she is “not doing enough”.

Despite Olga being half Ukrainian, her nationality as a Russian is always the main factor resulting in negativity towards her. It has also caused her relationship with her best friend — a Ukrainian — to deteriorate.

“My best friend, she's Ukrainian and her family, unfortunately, are in Ukraine … So, of course, I've been very conscious of the way she's experiencing all of this,” quipped Olga.

“She's completely blocked me out. The last time we communicated, she just exchanged a couple of messages highlighting the fact that she doesn't feel that Russians are being proactive enough … That's one really important friendship to me that has strongly suffered over the last three weeks.”

Hateful messages, cyberbullying

Discrimination against Russians in Europe has surged since the war started according to the Washington Post.

In the Czech Republic, in particular, shops have stated outright that they refuse to serve Russian or Belarusian patrons while social media users have suggested that Russians be "visibly marked" with a red star.

The effect has been sobering. Russians told the Washington Post that they feel ashamed of their nationality, even though many do not agree with the Russian government's decisions.

Similar concerns have also been felt by Russians living in Singapore, though those whom I spoke to said that cases of discrimination are few and far between.

Svetlana, a 32-year-old finance and IT professional who has been living in Singapore since 2019, said that she doesn’t feel that people in Singapore judge her for being Russian.

“They would make some comments about Putin in general, but it would be more like, ‘Oh yeah, from the news.’ Just to have small talk and know a bit about the country, but never have this negativity.”

Olga echoed similar sentiments as well:

“I think in Singapore, and just in APAC more widely … you're just going to be viewed as a (mere) expat. You're not going to have that differentiation. But in Europe, there is definitely more kind of, let's say judgmental-ness against Russians … So yeah, I think Singapore is probably one of the nicer places I assure you.”

This doesn’t mean that discrimination against Russians is non-existent here in Singapore.

Katerina is the founder of Unique Singapore, a local community initiative that connects Russian-speaking travellers and expats here, giving them a space to learn more about Singapore.

She shared that hateful messages were sent to her friends, even to Singaporean business entities with links to Russia, such as the community that helps with the Orthodox Christmas celebrations.

She also said that there have been cases of cyberbullying, where businesses were given bad reviews on Google, even though these reviewers have never used their services before.

However, she praised the Singaporean authorities’ firm stance against any form of racism and discrimination. Katerina mentioned that the authorities have even reached out to these organisations to check if they were affected by such incidents.

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Not all the same

“It’s very important to distinguish between government decisions and ordinary people,” said Katerina.

Though there are overseas-based Russians that are apathetic towards the war, there are also many who take the initiative to spread awareness and assist those who have been affected.

Svetlana’s Russian friends in Prague are currently involved in relief efforts for Ukrainian refugees who are fleeing to the Czech Republic.

As for Svetlana herself, she believes that the best way she can help here in Singapore is to spread awareness about the devastating effects of war on both sides through her Instagram account and word-of-mouth. Svetlana and her husband have also donated a sum of money to the Singapore Red Cross’s humanitarian response in Ukraine.

Making a difference

Olga is also doing her part to help.

In January, she met Anastasiya — a Ukrainian who currently resides in Singapore — through one of her friends here. When the war erupted, they connected deeper over conversations about what it means to be on either side of a war.

“Even though it's helpful to talk about this (the war) with our international friends, it still comes in a different way when you're speaking to somebody who actually knows the country — who is from there and has their roots there. I think this topic, this kind of situation, has been the basis of us deepening our communication,” Olga explained.

The duo decided on March 13 to collaborate in raising awareness and funds for those affected by the war in Ukraine — and they came up with some unique ideas to engage those in Singapore who might be a little bit more apathetic about the war.

The ladies plan to engage vendors — ranging from spin cycle organisers, to bars and restaurants — to organise fundraising events where the proceeds will be donated to the Singapore Red Cross’s humanitarian response in Ukraine. They hope that everyone, not just Russians and Ukrainians, will participate in their efforts.

Hoping for a better future

The war in Ukraine has divided families, friends and partners from both sides. These relationships will continue to be rocky for many years to come.

Still, the hope of rekindling these relations is there for those who believe in a peaceful solution despite the current animosity.

“I think we should definitely continue with finding ways and initiatives to bring people together,” said Olga. “Those who want to live in peace will come together."

Click here if you would like to donate to the Singapore Red Cross.

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Quotes were edited for clarity and grammar.